


The Tales of Varian

by NarniaNerd



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Actually Helpful Adults, Alchemy, BAMF Varian, Backstory, Bit of Fluff, Feelings, I’m going to add tags as the story progresses, Magic, Manipulation, New Friends, Original Character(s), Time Skips, Time Travel, Varian being an older brother, Varian is adorable, Varian’s Lab, Zahn Tiri is evil, Zahn Tiri is such a snake, but for now, fond memories, now things get complicated, what happened 1000 years ago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:26:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23868241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarniaNerd/pseuds/NarniaNerd
Summary: Zahn Tiri uses some Sand Glass magic to blast Varian into the very distant past. And he begins to find out first hand what happened 1,000 years ago.Alternatively: the descriptions for Varian and Lord Demanitus are way to similar to be coincidence so... what if they were the same person?
Relationships: Varian (Disney) & Original Character(s), Varian|Demanitus, Zhan Tiri & Varian
Comments: 15
Kudos: 71





	1. The End of the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So I can’t really explain how the sand time glass becomes weaponized other than to say maybe Zahn Tiri got ahold of it and decided she liked the idea of flinging people around in time. But I promise everything else has an explanation and it will all make sense.  
> Just keep an open mind!
> 
> Btw I adore Varian and thought he needed to be more boss in the show!

It had been a long day. First Lance had nearly destroyed the Roster by “rearranging” it into a different look. 

“It’s more like a roster now!” 

And then he had apparently thrown an entire barrel of Flynolium into his device. 

“More, it needed more” 

And then! He hadn’t even stayed to help clean up.

No, apparently that was Varian’s lot in life. “Why is it when I tell people NOT to touch ANYTHING, they always end up touching it!” He mumbled to himself, gesturing wildly, while he scrambled along the corridor. Well, at least he thought it was a mumble. It was hard to tell with all the ringing in his ears. He knew (yes, sadly from experience) that the sound would go away in a few hours. That didn’t make it any more comforting that he couldn’t hear anything right now. “They never believe me when I said DON’T touch!” He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks.

It was the girl. The creepy one from his dream. Though she looked much more solid now. But that wasn’t possible! He brain told him. It had been a dream! Dream people didn’t randomly start showing up in real life! Especially disembodied heads from really weird dreams. 

She was smiling at him in the same creepy way though. 

He backed up a step. 

He wasn’t sure if she was a friend or foe. But either way he didn’t have any of his alchemy supplies, and without them he felt next to useless. 

“Having a bad day, are we?” 

All he heard was “mama ma mah mumph” 

“What!?!” He yelled at her. Why is it people always mumbled!

“Ha, and you can’t even hear a word I’m saying, can you? Poor dear. Well unfortunately for you, you don’t have to be able to hear...”

She lifted her hand

“To get hit” she said cracking a smile. 

Varian still wasn’t sure what was going on, be he knew that smile. And it never meant anything good. It looked like Cass on the top of the stairs asking for the incantation. it looked like Andrew when he said he wouldn’t hurt anyone. That smile, well, it looked like his reflection in the amber. It was evil incarnate. 

And when someone with that smile lifts a vile of something... you run.

Varian made it all of three steps before he got hit with what looked like purple, green, and blue smoke. 

Three colors? Oh that wasn’t good! One color was usually harmless, two was pushing bad, three was deadly. (Not a very scientific rule, but one that had proved true for him). He coughed, and hacked on the air. It smelled foul, like rotten eggs. The smoke curled around his frame and took only seconds to cloud his sight. He fell to his knees. Unable to breathe.

The cloud swirled for a moment more, curling in on his body and then fell away. Leaving no evidence, and no Varian. He was gone.

“Sorry my boy.” Said Zahn Tiri to a now empty hallway. “But you played your part. I can’t have you messing up my plans anymore.” 

She turned and started walking down the corridor with another smile. Heels clicking on the stone.

“And I know first hand how much trouble a man of science can be.” 

She sneered at her own joke and smashed another vile of the ground at her own feet. A pink one this time. In a few moments she would be back in the black tower. Now, all she needed to do was stall the moon drop for a little while and she would have everything she needed. Everything she had deserved for so long. 

And, now that all the wild cards had been thrown away, she only needed to bide her time. She had waited a thousand years to have what she desired. What was a few more days? 

—————

Varian’s knees hit the soft ground, and he waved his hands around him trying to clear the fog. Wait, soft ground? That didn’t seem right. 

He tried to stand but found himself too dizzy. His body felt like it had just been through a race (Or what he always suspected a big race would be like, personally he never saw the draw in physical exercise). 

He took three deep breaths, closing his eyes for good measure. He stilled himself and counted to ten, then opened his eyes and stood. He found he wasn’t dizzy anymore, but somehow his head was still spinning. 

What had just happened? Who was that creepy girl in the dress? And where was he anyway?

The woods. Came the very unhelpful answer from his brain.

How did he get in the woods? 

“I hate magic!” He yelled into the seemingly empty forest. (At least he had actually MEANT to yell this time) he threw his arms up in disgust. “It’s just not fair! No rhyme or reason, just poof! Hope you like woods!” This time it sounded more like a growl of disgust. “Alright then, be that way” he said as he looked around. 

They didn’t look like any woods he knew. And he had seen his fair share of them on his many trips from Old Corona to the Castle. These though, these didn’t seem at all familiar. He stopped, spinning around a few times to see if anything looked normal. For course it didn’t. 

“Fine!” He said “time for the Lance method” 

He looked around and found two trees and what looked like it COULD be a path between them. Seems fair. And off he started into the woods. 

—————

It wasn’t a path. This became obvious after only a little while. But Varian was never one to be deterred easily. So he just kept walking on, and on, and on. Finding his was out took forever. (At least it seemed like forever to him. In truth it was probably only a few hours.)

He stumbled out of the woods and could help but throw his hand in the air and jump. 

“Made it out!” He said triumphantly to the trees. And he had to stop celebrating long enough to take stock of where he was. 

Edge of the wood, their was water up ahead, and then he could see a bridge. And clear as day in the distance ahead a castle. And not just any castle, but Rapunzel’s castle. He found his second home again. And he couldn’t help but smile. 

He had thought he was a goner when the creepy lady threw the vile at him, but apparently it had been a simple transportation mist. 

Still smiling from ear to ear he made his way down to the bridge. 

But wait, it didn’t look right... he thought stepping on it

And the castle looked different too... now that he stopped to really look at it.

What had he missed? What was different? He asked his brian, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Oh, this was going to drive him mad. 

What was it, what was it, what was it? He thought glancing around at everything he could see. His eyes scanned the towers and cobbled stone of this city. He looked at the ground and couldn’t tell what had set the alarm bells off in his head. He leaned down on one knee and studied it hard. Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. He glanced off the side of the bridge and stopped. 

He pulled his body back curling away from the edge. 

“What?” No, no, no ,no. His mind was screaming. 

“That’s not... it can’t...” no, no, no, no his mind repeated very unhelpfully. 

He took a deep breath and looked over the edge again. Plain stone made up the bridge and went all the way down into the calm and smooth water. 

But the reflection staring back at him, wasn’t Varian’s...


	2. Chaos in Corona

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my first attempt at making a multi chaptered story. And writing chapter 2 was the hardest time I have ever had writing.  
> I’m still not super satisfied with it. But after writing it three times I think this will do for what I want. I hope you agree and enjoy!

Two weeks he realized. Two weeks was the maximum amount of time you could live in Corona and not be “adopted” by the people. 

“It seems like I really should have realized that BEFORE this...” Varian mumbled to himself as he walked.

It was honestly remarkable; how he could be trapped on the body of a seemingly 18 year old man (okay boy, but he looked MUCH older than Varian had three weeks ago) and still be treated like a child! 

He was nearly five, eight now. With similar long black hair to what he had before. He had brown eyes (which he was still getting used to seeing) and a pretty big frame, and yet...

“Hello!” The old baker woman called as Varian passed by her shop in the marketplace. “How ARE we today?” She said giving him a once over. 

She was tall, probably in her late forty’s, and a bit homely looking. She had a dazzling smile that made you want to join in on the joke, and black hair in braids behind her shoulders. Her eyes, which were his old shade of blue glinted with mirth.

Varian totally didn’t like her. Nope, not even a little his brain insisted. He couldn’t like her. He didn’t belong here! Besides, she had shown a horrible habit (not unlike seemingly everyone in Corona) of checking up on him every time she saw him.

How annoying.

She made sure that he ate something, and kept trying to ask questions about his family. Which (of course) Varian didn’t dare answer. He didn’t know where he was (or, he was beginning to suspect WHEN he was) and he couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself! And yet...The baker, artist in residence, and the head of the stable hands had all seemingly adopted to him. It was so frustrating!

He had been careful! VERY careful (especially by his own standards) not to say anything. Not to seem too happy or sad, or mad. He even saw some arcane warning about sorcerers on the town notice board and DIDN’T fume about it! Not even a little!  
Even though it was entirely ridiculous to be blaming the latest flu around town to a band of angry...

“Honey?” Loretta, for that was her name, asked “you okay?” She offered him a baguette, which reminded him of Atilla though this woman didn’t look a thing like the thug. She had managed to pull him out of his own musings though.

Varian shook his head to show he heard and was fine. He DID accept the baguette though. 

“You know one of these days your gonna have to speak” she said looking a bit like she had accepted his silence as a challenge. 

He blushed a little. But then shook his head in the negative and kept traveling down the street. 

“Alright” she called after him “I’ll see you tomorrow dear!” And caught himself smiling at the thought.

What she said was true though. Varian hadn’t said a word to anyone since he came to town. 

He couldn’t risk it. 

He wasn’t a stranger to magic, or evil clouds (sadly). He knew whatever creepy girl had done it wasn’t good. And he needed to be very, VERY careful about how he proceeded. 

Sadly he had an idea of what happened.

—————

Rapunzel had told him a crazy story once, and he couldn’t get it out of his head. She had talked about spending a day in the body of the Stabbingtons. She had told him... that she had traveled back in time.

She insisted it was true, ranting about being a different person, breaking into Corona castle with Eugene and something about friends not leaving friends. (Well, okay THAT part wasn’t very different from normal Rapunzel). Varian hadn’t really believed her though. She could have had a crazy dream. Hallucinations weren’t uncommon if you had a lack of air or were incredibly stressed. He had told her as much. 

She hadn’t been impressed. 

After the last couple of weeks, I am going to owe her once heck of an apology his brain nagged at him.

Because try though he might he couldn’t think of any other explanation. He must have time traveled too, but much further. 

Some building were in the same place, but not all of them. The castle was different looking. It seemed pretty new. None of the paintings that he had seen on his trips with his father were anywhere to be found, on the walls or otherwise. There were two more tall towers rising imposingly into the skyline of the castle now, taunting him. 

And the people... not a single one of the people Varian knew seemed to exists. Rapunzel, Eugene, Cass, Lance... Varian couldn’t even find Shorty! 

All the people that I love... are gone, he thought. Even dad. 

Just when things were getting happy in his home again. Now he didn’t have a home. 

Typical... he thought 

And he couldn’t even talk to anyone here, or even try to find help because what if he ruined something in the past? Then his personal past, now future, would be ruined by him! And he wouldn’t ever go home. Maybe he wouldn’t even recognize home when he found a way... what if home was ruined, or something important never happened because of him and his friends didn’t exists! 

All the implications hurt his head. 

Rapunzel’s trip sounded horrifying frankly. She took so many rash steps, and told people so much. 

But, he reminded himself, she only traveled back ten years. And from some of the evidence Varian had found. (Yes, the librarian seemed to like him too. Though he suspected that’s because he never talked) He may have traveled a LOT further away. 

In fact if Varian didn’t know better, and he didn’t, he would say it had been hundreds of years. 

Which meant (among other things) that Varian had the worst luck in Corona.

—————

Varian had found an old seemingly abandoned house on the edge of town that he called home. 

It wasn’t much. One old room filled with dusty barrels and rickety tables. 

He had gotten several blankets and a pillow from Loretta and co. (Still wasn’t happy about being cared for, no he wasn’t!) which he put into a pile of the far corner. 

The rest of the room was filled. Every table had a contraption of some kind on it. He was even using some wooden planks to prop up one of the beakers he had salvaged since he came here. 

Chemicals, all he could find, we scattered around the room. 

“I’m not sure HOW I ended up here.” He said while he leaned away. He spun a wheel which started a chain reaction of his chemicals. The burner cause some of his liquid to become a gas which went through his makeshift filter. 

“But! I’m not going to stop until I get home!” He leaned closer to the beaker that had just gotten a now pink droplet added. It went through even more glass and then went through the only thing that would work as a distiller. The liquid now turned purple. 

“And Alchemy can find a way. SCIENCE can always find a way!” He said proudly snatching up his fourth experimental drink and holding it over his head in triumph. He spun to his audience expecting some enthusiasm. 

The rat squeaked, but only in joy upon finding a crumb of some bread in the corner. 

Basically he was unimpressed. 

Times like these Varian missed Ruddigar. 

You always miss Ruddigar, his brain said. No helping! Another part responded. 

It’s true though. (And it was.)He missed his fluffy, surprisingly faithful raccoon. Perhaps more than anyone, he had always had Varian’s back. And now no one did. 

“And that’s why I’m getting home” he said firmly to the rat. “Right, now” he lifted the glass and drank. 

Varian coughed and sputtered. It tasted like acid going down. He fumbled around trying to catch his breath (hacking up a storm) and finally landed on throwing himself into his pile of blankets. 

He curled into a ball trying to breath. And lay there for a few moments.

When he finally caught his breath he stood back up. He glanced expectantly at his hands and feet, not sure what to expect. But nothing happened. 

“No!” The frustration clear in his voice. “It should have worked. Something HAS to work...” 

He slammed his hand on the table. Sighing and looking down. So his hair covered his face. He saw the streak of blue in his hair that he had always had, even though he knew that his reflection didn’t share it. It strengthened his resolve. He would get home... next time, or eventually, whichever one came first. 

He lifted his hand and snatched his latest papers off the table and threw them on the floor. 

Unfortunately between the slamming and snatching he had jostled one of the viles.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you Son, but... well... your experiments have a habit of exploding” came his dad’s voice out of the past. 

Varian watched the vile fall to the floor in slow motion. Then... BOOM! 

—————

At home people looked more disgruntled than actually frightened when things blew up around Varian. 

Chalk that up as another change he though. 

The guards yanked at his arm pulling him down the corridor of the castle. A corridor that even time wouldn’t let Varian forget.

This was the way to the throne room. 

The stone around him was new, but the windows were identical. And the armor that always stood to the side of the door was the same. 

How old is that thing? Varian’s mind questioned uselessly. And he found himself wishing he had asked Rapunzel the story of it sometime. 

“Stop here” said the gruff voice of one of his guards. While the other opened and slipped in the double doors. 

Varian was nervous. Actually, he thought, terrified might be more accurate. 

His whole plan had been to lay low, and find a way home. When a few towns people started noticing him, THAT had made him nervous. Now he was getting pulled in front of the royals! 

Bad, he knew, very, very bad. 

If he said anything he could ruin the future. But if he didn’t say anything he could go back to jail. And, though a small part of him MAY have wanted to see if the jail was the same (purely research purposes) that would be remarkably unhelpful! He couldn’t figure out anything from there, and if he couldn’t figure out what happened he might never get back. 

His brain started throwing out ideas trying to decide what he would say...

I could lie?

But couldn’t a lie be just as damning as the truth? Besides, I’ve never been good at lies. And if the rulers found out I was a lying vagrant wouldn’t they be more disposed to lock me in jail and throw away the key? 

I could tell the truth? 

But what if that destroys the future? I’m not that selfish. I’d rather rot here than risk everyone’s lives. 

But, isn’t staying here longer than you HAVE to dangerous too? 

But, wait... 

His mind froze. 

What if... 

What if I have always been sent back in time? 

His brain whirled ever faster considering that possibility. What if time is linear? And I’ve always been in the past? Then anything I say now is always what happened... 

But how can I know that for sure?

The doors opened up and Varian’s brain quieted of its own accord. His eyes snapping up from the middle distance to take in the throne room as he was pulled through the doors.

A man and woman sat on two stone thrones. They were far less ornate than the last ones Varian had seen. The room itself was pretty similar. The sun symbol was on one massive banner behind the royal couple, and the two were still several steps above the large ballroom floor. Okay, so their weren’t any flower boxes like normal but everything else what pretty close. 

“So, young man” began the king in a clam, and (dare Varian hope it) compassionate voice. “We hear you have been causing a problem” 

“Destruction of property, vagrancy, loitering, possibly stealing!” Snapped a deep voice a few steps away. The Captain of the guard the apparent speaker. 

“We’ve heard your report of what happened Quinn” the Queen spoke up. “Now I would hear his explanation” 

Varian cringed slightly at the man’s name. Quinn was a little too close to Quirin for his liking. 

“So?” The Queen said looking him up and down. 

Varian straightened slightly, he was used to being appraised by people by now. He looked directly at the Queen and she starred back.

She looked very regal on her throne. She had a deep green dress with a white sash on. She also had dark black hair, and eyes that were full of a shrewd intelligence. 

That alone made Varian want to spill the whole horrible tale. 

Maybe she would understand! Said a part of his mind.

Maybe she won’t, said a larger part.

He dropped his eyes first.

He had come this far. He had been in Corona for almost a month now, and he had decided he wouldn’t cause a fuss. He wouldn’t, COULDN’T risk the lives of everyone he knew on the chance that he time travel was linear. And he wasn’t about to risk all of that now, in front of the King and Queen. No matter how nice and caring they looked.

“I don’t have anything to say your majesties” he called into the empty room. 

The guard who had escorted him looked down quizzically. 

The King and Queen did the same. There was a moment of awkward silence in the room. 

“How about we start with something simple” the Queen said kindly. “What’s your name son? Our Captain” here she gestured at Quinn, “says you have been seen in the lower town quite often, but you hardly ever speak. Loretta couldn’t even get a name out of you.” Here she added a smile “so how about you tell us what it is?” 

Varian froze. And let his neck sag. Why did they have to be nice? It was so much easier to be rude and unhelpful when people were rude back. 

“Damn it all” Varian mumbled under his breath. 

“What was that?” The Queens voice rang out. 

Silence

“I think...” Said the guard studying him. “I think he said his name was...Demanitus?” 

Varian’s neck swung around so fast that he nearly lost his balance. 

Was this a sign? He didn’t believe in coincidence. As a man of science they didn’t exist. So... more magic maybe? 

“Is that right? Well then, Demanitus. Please, tell us what happened to that building. And why you are here?” The Queen continued bravely. 

Varian’s brain had finally responded. 

He couldn’t lie, and he couldn’t tell the truth. Maybe he just needed to find a middle ground? And maybe, if he was very clever and very lucky, he might just get help and he might go back home and find it just the way he found it...

He had wanted a sign. 

This definitely qualifies he thought. And smiled, just a little.


	3. Tales & Tonics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so sorry guys! I’ve been trying to update this regularly (Sunday night/Monday morning) but Mother’s Day was last week and I put all of my creative writing into something nice for my mom  
> Anyways, I’m back to this now so hopefully I can keep these chapters coming! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Varian was talking. Finally...

Okay, so he might have missed this enough that he had crossed over into rambling. But after talking to no one but a group of rats for a month he felt he had earned it. 

He knew that whatever story he went with now would define the rest of his time here. And that he couldn’t really change it after today. He also knew he had a reputation to live up to again. And this one was even bigger than his fathers.

But, despite what Eugene had seemed to think, Varian knew how to tell a convincing lie. 

Keep it close to the truth.

And so he began to tell the royals the story.

well, most of it... well, at least fifty...no. Forty percent of the story.

He explained to the King and Queen that he had grown up in a far away kingdom (It seemed better than old Corona since he didn’t know it’s current status) but refused to tell them which one. He told them about growing up with only a father in a small village. The royals looked truly sorry for him. 

He mentioned wanting to be a scientist/inventor, and he watched as the queens eyes lit up. 

“An inventor?” She asked with clear interest derailing his story. “What drew you to that?” 

So he had gone on and on about his love of science. How he adored being able to make life easier for the people he loved. He had talked about his dad, and the village he couldn’t help the sour edge when he talked about them though he had always tried to do his best to help them, but it never worked out well.

After an hour of talking (and he had been carefully not to give too much away very vague or very specific stories) the king seemed to loose interest. But a glance between his wife and the young man told him not to interrupt, and so he seemed resigned to hearing Varian rant. 

Quinn, the Captain of the guard, seemed to be channeling his inter Cass from what Varian could see. He seemed alert, but throughly unamused. Honestly, Varian would have wagered that, had he tried to hurt anyone the man would have been quick as lightning to move, but as long as Varian was just animatedly chatting he would let him be... 

Varian’s own guard looked confused, bless him. Like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be tracking with Varian’s words.

The Queen, however, was not just humoring his discussion, but seemed to be loving it. Every now and then she would interrupt Varian’s recounting of experiments to ask questions like, “how did you make that? What happened next? I thought that was highly flammable?” 

From what Varian could deduce from the questions queen Camilla (the king had given Varian her name earlier) seemed quite brilliant. And while she may not have been an inventor in her day she had clearly had a fondness for science. 

He enthusiasm made Varian smile.

It reminded him of Rapunzel and her art. Varian would never understand it. How Rapunzel could capture an imagine in her minds eye and recreate it on walls, parchment, or canvas. They always looked so beautiful. Even if Varian couldn’t make art he knew how to admire the skill and beauty she always created. 

A slight cough brought Varian out of his musings, and brought his talking to a halt. 

“Young man” came the deep baritone voice of the king after what Varian would bet was at least a couple of hours. “Interesting though I find this... discussion. You have yet to tell us what brought you here. Or how you came to blow up that building.” 

The Queen seemed to glare at her husband (but that might have been Varian’s imagination) but then she turned to Varian with an empathetic smile. Obviously urging him to speak. 

Varian stopped and considered his words. He weighed them very carefully, looking at them from every angle and then opened his mouth. 

“I came here, in the hope of finding a way to free my father.” He took a deep breath and plunged on.

“Those experiments are what caused the explosion, I’m sorry about that I really am! Sometimes my tests aren’t quite what I had planned.” he finished lamely looking a bit sheepish. Thought everyone seemed far more interested in the start of his sentence rather than the end. 

“Free your father?” The Queen murmured obviously not understanding. 

“Yes” he quickly added “your majesty.” 

“I was... I was trying to make a substance harder than any in existence today. It could be used to make protective walls, or homes, it would be able to stand up to harsh weather or natural disasters. But something went wrong” 

he didn’t even have to fake the self loathing in his tone. Rapunzel had helped him accept what had happened and make it right, but he had lost his dad for a year because of his own ineptitude. 

“My father” his voice cracked here, easily remembering that he hadn’t seen him in a month. “He ended up encased in the... substance. I tried everything I could think of to save him, but nothing worked.” 

Here Varian had to deviate from his actual story, but he couldn’t think of a better way. 

“The towns people, when they found out what I had done... not surprising after all... everyone loved him cause he was so nice. One time he even helped one of the older women...” 

“Demanitus...” said the queen softly. 

“... with her crops. It cost him a lot of money cause the seed wasn’t cheep...” 

“Demanitus.” She said a bit louder drawing Varian’s attention 

Oh right! That’s my name now, his brain reminded him. 

“Your father sounds like a good man, but what... what did the people do?”

Right, his story.

“They, they drove me out of the village.” He said with a wince. Sorry guys! I’ll make it up to you later, he thought, feeling more than a little guilty. They might not have liked him, but he was relatively certain they wouldn’t have run him out. 

The King, Queen, and guards all looked shocked.

“But, what about your father?” Varian’s guard said. And he made a mental note to try and find out his name later, he seemed genuinely concerned and Varian would need some good people to help him if was to get home.

“Still encased.” He said flatly. Calling up memories of his dad in the amber. This would be a tough sell, but his emotions would make it believable. 

Varian didn’t like thinking of that awful year, but he had gone through things that no one his age should, and you couldn’t fake that kind of pain unless you had lived through it. 

A voice broke the previously silent throne room. 

“So that explosion?” 

Varian turned to the Captain. “Was me trying for the eleventh time to create a compound capable of freeing my father from the... rocks, yeah.” Not calling it amber was hard. But letting out his frustration about his failure to make a way home was easy.

The Captain nodded and turned to the King. Varian did the same.

The King seemed to take stock of Varian, with his ragged cloths and small frame. Then he seemed to get lost in thought. 

Varian wanted patiently. Okay, so he moved around a bit, glanced about, and fidgeted (he didn’t do patient well). But he didn’t interrupt the King’s musing. He might have been raised in a far away village but he knew that you don’t interrupt a king. 

After what seemed like an eternity to Varian the king stood. He glanced at his wife who smiled and nodded but didn’t say anything, and then turned to look at Varian. 

It was time for Varian’s sentence. 

“You have admitted to having decimated a small building in my lower town” he began gruffly. 

“But” he continued, his voice softening considerably, “you were not doing it out of hatred, and you have asked forgiveness for those crimes. I’m inclined to give it, but with two stipulations. One, you must consent to being under observation for a time deemed by the crown.” 

“Wait, what!” (Okay, so maybe he hadn’t learned ALL of his lessons well.) 

“Two by paying recompense to those who’s property you destroyed.” He said speaking over Varian, who still seemed to be in shock. The Queen was beaming at her husband.

“This first can be easily accomplished, if she is willing, by you moving your living quarters into baker Loretta’s home” 

“She would be more than willing.” Said the guard with a smile. Varian turned to him in confusion. The traitor. “she has been taking care of the boy for weeks” 

“Very well, thank you John” the king nodded at the guard. This was all moving too fast for Varian. 

“As for the second... since it was a building that was not in use, it is considered part of my land. Thus I am the wronged party here. You can pay me back, by using your, seemingly, considerable skills as an apprentice in the castle.” 

The King smiled kindly at Varian, and he got the distinct impression that he had misjudged the man. 

After speaking with his brilliant wife for a few hours Varian had thought he was a bit of a bore. But evidently the Queen had found her match for wit in this man. He had just sentenced Varian to a new home, a kind hand, and new work all while making it sound like justice for an explosion. 

Varian couldn’t help it, he smiled again. Apparently, kindness had always run in the royal family. 

—————

Loretta, as it turned out, was more than happy to take Varian in. She had taken in many other orphans. 

She had been careful to never called him that though. Varian suspected that the guard, John, might have told her some of the story he had heard. He would catch her looking at him with a bit of pity sometimes, when she thought he wasn’t looking.

But regardless, he had found a home in a few rooms above the “sweet on you bakery” (Varian had cringed at the name too) which seemed to be located where the forge was in Varian’s time.

It was odd thing he thought, to look broad shouldered and strong to the world, while he knew that he was skinny and weak though. 

A couple of times now Loretta had turned to him and asked him to help her with the flour, or some of the kneading or pulling baked bread out of the furnace and he had tired himself out trying to help, only to find out he was near useless.

No matter how many times I try I’m never strong enough his mind accused him. 

Thankfully he didn’t often have to help Loretta. She had been a baker. (And if the sweets Varian now got to eat we’re any judge a damn good one) for many years without help. And most days he spent working in the castle anyway. 

It had taken weeks, but his lab was nearly complete. 

As it turned out the King, Florence was his name, when he had said “apprentice” mostly meant scientist in residence. Which was enthusiastically accepted by Varian.

When he arrived prepared to be sent to grueling manual labor he had instead found the Queen and a couple of guards ready to escort him around the castle. She had told him that they were looking for a place for him to work without endangering others. 

The two (plus the guards who Varian had long ago decide were mostly decoration) wandered around the castle for hours. It helped calm Varian’s now returned nervousness to see the condition of the castle. A lot was the same. Rooms that Varian remembered hastily cleaning with Cassie were still bedrooms, and the dungeons looked very similar. (Varian hadn’t wanted to stay there long, shocking)

The two new towers on the castle annoyed Varian but he couldn’t find too much fault with them. Especially when one seemed nearly perfect for his experiments. 

Varian stepped in and immediately thought it was amazing. It was about twice the size of his lab in his fathers basement. The whole wall left of the door was covered in dilapidated bookshelves. The wall opposite of the door had a large window which reminded Varian of Rapunzel and would leave plenty of space to air out the room if (more accurately when) something hazardous came in. The next wall had an overly ornate bed, easy enough to remove though, he thought not letting it distract him. And the last wall had the small wooden door they had come in. Leaving plenty of room for potential sketches and plans to hang off the stone. 

“It’s perfect” he whispered. 

The Queen laughed. “I’m glad you like it Demanitus. We can have anything you’d like brought up here. And we’ll definitely have it cleaned up before you take it over.” 

“Yeah,” he said, “thanks...” 

“Are you alright?” She asked looking a bit confused. 

The question was such an easy one, and such a hard one. Was he alright? Well, I’m stuck in the wrong time. Lying to royalty. And I’m also pretending to be a famous inventor so... no he though. 

“yeah” he said out loud 

“it’s just... why are you being so nice to me?” 

The Queen looked startled for a moment, then thoughtful.

“Because you need it” she said simply. 

That’s not an answer said him mind. But as he looked at her another part seemed to quite like it. Not just because bad things had happened, not just because he could be helpful. She wanted to help because he needed it. 

“Thanks” he mumbled now studying his shoes. He hated to think it, but he was probably blushing too.

—————

As it turned out Varian was able to help much sooner than anyone expected. 

Weeks after his lab was properly set up he got a message to appear before the King and Queen. 

Thinking an official message was a bit odd Varian scrambled to comply. He pulled more liquid off of the burners and set them on his shelf. He sprinted to the desk he had been given in place of the bed and stuffed his latest plans on a rather large pile. 

He clambered down the now familiar stone stairs pulling the glasses that he had been forced to invent over his head. 

He found himself at the doors of the throne room rather more quickly then he though and knocked on them. 

“Enter” came the kings voice. And Varian did as requested. 

The throne room had several occupants, many of them were guards. 

John and a couple of others were restraining a boy who couldn’t be older than ten or eleven who was scratching and clawing at them. There was a crying woman and, what looked to be her husband not far away. Lastly there was Florence, Camilla, Quinn, and Rivas who was the chief advisor. 

“Oh, good, Demanitus” the Queen said gesturing for him to come forward. 

“Your majesties” he said bowing then stepping quickly forward. He had gotten considerably more comfortable around the royals, though still preferring to hide in his tower and work. 

He found himself wondering why he had been summoned here, and what was going on with these people. Queen Camilla answered his questions. 

“Do you have any idea what this is?” She asked obviously frustrated. She held before her a bottle of some deep purple liquid, which Varian took. He held it up to the light, and took a sniff, familiar, but he had no idea

“No, your highness” he said watching her shoulders slump as he did so. “Not off the top of my head. I can absolutely take it back to my lab and run some tests on it though. To figure out what it does and what it’s made of.” 

“We know what it does!” They sobbing woman yelled into the room, “it makes someone angry.” 

“What?!? Why would it do that?” 

“I don’t know!” Cried the woman near hysteric. “My son fancies himself a scientist, and he had been poring things together for weeks.” She motioned between herself and he husband. “We just assumed he was playing around, and then... then... this happened he... he starts yelling at us, an...and throwing things” 

“We tried to calm him down but nothing worked” the man explained. 

“Worked? Past tense” said Varian picking up on it. “How long ago did he start getting mad?” 

The pair looked sheepish. 

“About a week ago? We thought we could calm him down, but every time we do...” the man gestured at what Varian now knew was his son. 

The boy finally seemed to be calming down. A shimmer suddenly stole over his boy, and he once again seemed furious. 

“No...” whispered Varian looking at the potion again. That reaction looked horribly familiar. He lifted the bottle again and stirred it around. 

This can’t be... 

But it looked so similar. And it did smell familiar however distantly. It was a much more concentrated amount than Varian had seen

But, His brain nagged at him, if this was the first draft ever made there would be some differences. The color for instance.

But, but... 

“How did Xavier’s mood tonic get here.” He mumbled under his breath. And glanced at the boy still raging. 

It must have been his first draft. The boy would have experimented on himself first, something Varian understood all too well. And then, when it went wrong... he was probably too young to think about making an antidote.

He was stunned. This boy, young though he may have been, was a genius. 

Varian looked at the room at large. 

“I may have an idea...”


	4. Magical Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me this far! This has been a fun ride, making characters and enjoying old ones. But... buckle your seatbelts, cause the intro period is coming to an end. Things are starting to speed up in the past.

Creating the anitidote to the tonic didn’t take Varian much time at all.

A month or two before Varian was sent back to ancient Corona (that’s what he had decided on calling it, in his head at least) Rapunzel had decided that he didn’t spend enough time out of his lab. He had tried to convince her that time spent researching science was his version of fun but she insisted on human interaction. 

“It will do you some good!” She had insisted with a chipper tone. The next day she had conspired to force Varian and Eugene together all day. 

And so realizing that he couldn’t get out of it Eugene had used the time to regal Varian with all of the “fun” stories he had missed. 

One of which had, thankfully, included the backwards day (Eugene’s term for it). Varian listened through Rapunzel being rude, Cass being sweet (he was really very bummed then that he had missed it) and the King nearly starting a war. 

Eugene had also insisted that the tonic had absolutely no affect on him. Varian found out the real story from Rapunzel, and did get quite a laugh out of picturing Eugene as a coward. 

The result of all of that “not at all wasted time” per Rapunzel, was that Varian had a very good idea of the affects of the original tonic. 

That information paired with Varian’s own experience with the tonic as well, made it pretty easy.

He had really been more focused on the aspects of forcing an emotion out of someone than changing their personality. But, his research and experimentation with it helped speed up this process considerably.

Though the bottle he had now was a much stronger version. 

According to Varian’s tests the truth potion that Varian had made would wear off in about three days. The emotion tonic that Xavier had would change a persons attitude for a week or two. This undiluted version... Varian wasn’t sure how long it could potentially hold. The boy, whose name was apparently Phillip, had been in a constant violent mood for at least two weeks now. And he didn’t seem to be slowing, when he slept he was constantly thrashing about, and in waking hours he seemed beyond furious with everyone around him. 

His parents were nearly besides themselves with worry. The mother had even tried to get into Varian’s lab to pester him with questions. Apparently Loretta (Varian would have to admit to truly appreciating her now) caught up with her mid route and convinced her that when the potion was ready it would be ready. 

Varian couldn’t have been happier because having a crying woman while he spun around his lab running tests would not have been helpful. 

But now, only a week later the antidote was complete. 

Varian was proud of himself, and he was so happy to be helping people again. He knew he had to go home. he wanted to go home, but it was nice to be able to help these people who had been so nice to him. To give back to the royals who had given him a chance, and to protect the people. That’s all he had ever wanted to do... help others. 

And maybe, if he was clever, he might even make a friend in Phillip. The boy was smart, to have come up with that tonic on his own, a genius really. And Varian knew better than to judge by age like so many people had him. 

We might even get to work on something together he brain encouraged him. 

To fast! Said another. We have to be careful, he remembered. 

Living in the past sucked he surmised. You always had to watch your step, you never could talk without weighing you words, and you were always stuck trying to find a way home.

He hoped that he and Phillip did become friends, cause Varian could use another brain on his problem. He hadn’t made any headway in the months he had been working. 

I need new ideas... I need someone to spice up my planning... I need... I need...

It can’t be that simple his brain commanded. 

But could it? 

Varian needed... a bit of texture. 

...magic. 

Of course he though, and slapped himself on the head for good measure. 

“I need magic!” He said. His voice was equal parts shock and annoyance.

Then quickly turned around to make sure he was alone. 

“Magic got me into this mess. Of course I’ll need magic to get me out.” 

—————

“You need what?” Camilla asked calmly from her throne. And was asking the question with the tone of someone who clearly thought they had misheard.

“Magic.” Varian said for the third time. It was already bad enough that he had to admit needing it, let alone having to admit his own failure three times. 

“At least, that’s what I’m assuming. See, I hadn’t thought about it before, because I hate magic. Because it’s really very annoying, and I’m all about the science behind stuff anyway...” 

“Demanitus, your rambling.” Camilla said fondly. Varian stopped talking and looked at the ground.

“Oh, right, sorry your majesty.” 

“Not a problem, continue.” 

“Of course... so, I was thinking that I might... I’ve been trying to undo the substance that encased my dad, but I haven’t found any solution that is tough enough. So... I was thinking... magic might...”

Here he stopped short and glanced around. The Queen looked slightly amused by his lack of desire to say it out loud. She nodded at him encouragingly and he plowed on. 

“I might need magic.” It tasted like vinegar coming out of his mouth. “It might expedite the process at least, science can do almost anything, but magic can make it easier!” 

Camilla smiled. “Alright Demanitus, you need magic. Unfortunately I don’t have any. I’ve never used it, and I can’t say that I have heard a case in Corona that it’s been used. So... where you thinking it was time for you to leave us?” 

Varian blanched. 

“N...no your majesty. I hadn’t planned to. I was hoping that you would have something, or that... well that you might. Put out a call to the kingdom?” 

Here the Queen lost he playful look. First she looked compassionately at Varian and smiled, but it began to fade almost immediately. 

“Actually summoning magic here. It’s a dangerous thing.” 

“I know. My plan had been that you could admit to needing help with something. Ask for someone with any magic artifacts, or skills to help and maybe...” 

Varian hadn’t used it in some time, but he pulled out his puppy dog face. Camilla chuckled which was not the reaction Varian had been hoping for.

“My son always looks at me like that. I’m immune, sorry. But...” she sobered up. “Do you, honestly, there is no other way?” 

Varian pulled in a deep breath. 

“I haven’t found one your majesty. Not to say I couldn’t find one given time. But, even I run out of ideas eventually.” He didn’t try to stop the desperation from leaking into his voice. 

He had been in ancient Corona for five months and thirteen days. It had been so much longer than he had hoped when he began. And with little sign of making any way back despite all of his hard work. 

“I’ll bring it to my husband.” She said simply. 

“Yes!” He happily and could resist making fists in the air. That was basically a yes. 

“That’s not a guarantee Demanitus.” She said warningly.

He swung back to her from his celebrating and lifted a finger knowingly. “But, it’s hope. And that’s all I need your majesty. Hope can go a long, long way.” And smiling he turned to go. 

—————

She was almost there. She had been traveling for weeks and she was almost at Corona. 

She knew because she had seen the spires of the castle a few moments ago. Based on the instructions she had gotten out of the old woman she should be clearing the forest any minuet now. 

After that, it was a short trip through the town, maybe pick up some information on the royals there. The bar wouldn’t be out of the way and she needed all knowledge she could get.

It was so much easier to get people to give her things when she knew how to play them. And the call had been too good to resist. 

The royal couple of Corona calling for anyone magical to appear for consultation... might as well have screamed her name from the mountains with a reverberation spell. 

The King and Queen wanted magic... wanted someone with magic to rely on... Zahn Tiri would be only too happy to oblige.


	5. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer wait than usual, sorry! But I’ve decided quality is more important than consistency and my heart wasn’t in it last week. 
> 
> Still, hopefully this is worth the wait! If you are enjoying this tale please leave a comment. They really encourage me to keep it up. Seriously I adore hearing from people! And thanks to those who already have left comments!!!
> 
> As always thanks for making it this far! And I hope my story makes you smile!

Varian was, in point of fact, bored. 

He had stood for the last three days next to the Queens throne just a bit to her left, and watched the mayhem. 

Did that make him royally bored? He wasn’t sure.

When Varian had planned out a call around all of Corona for magic he knew there would be a... variety... of people that showed up. 

But he hadn’t quite counted on this many. 

There was an old man that came in, clearly unstable, and claiming that his walking stick was magic. To prove his point and before anyone had really understood his intentions, he had hobbled over and walloped Quinn over the head with said stick. The entire room had gone silent for a moment and then Varian had snorted in surprise and amusement. The whole room had burst into near tears of laughter and the old man was safely escorted home by a guard (not Quinn). 

The second day brought on, among other things, a girl who claimed she could teleport. She said she didn’t want to do it in the throne room because of... well, something absurd that Varian didn’t follow at all; something to do with vibrations of the universe being unfocused. Varian had rolled his eyes as they group walked out of the room. 

Next thing he knew she was throwing a small bead on the ground and in a puff of smoke she “reappeared” behind the royals. Varian (who by now was very used to loud noises and puffs of smoke) spotted a figure turning the corner of the first hallway, and it didn’t take much after that to find the original girl. Apparently they thought that being identical twins and having a pension for smoke would qualify. At least that was the story when they had been unmasked as frauds and taken out of the castle.

Varian’s favorite, and indeed everyone’s he has no doubt, was the small maybe two year old girl who had come sprinting into the throne room insisting her father was magic. Her father, obviously flustered, had come sprinting after her. There was a great amount of bowing and apologizing but Varian couldn’t help the grin. 

Apparently the man had so completely convinced his daughter that he could make a coin appear in her ear that she had run as fast as her legs would carry her to the castle to tell the royals. She had been a very sweet girl though, and seeing her insist to her father that he WAS magic could have thawed even the hardest heart. 

Unfortunately today had been less entertaining. 

No crazy people, renegade hustlers, or cute children. Today had been entirely what Varian had feared and what most of their time had been consumed with these last three days, mistakes. 

People were rather prone to blaming magic for odd happenings. And everyone had seemingly recovered all of the odd items they had hidden away in their childhood and brought them to the castle. 

Cups that the owners claimed couldn’t be emptied, “wands” that the owner would swear had felled a tree when used, and a box someone said was enchanted to fit any object no matter the size. 

All of these were quickly disproven and sent on their way (with a word of thanks for the efforts by the King) 

Varian found himself yawning as one of the last people of the day came into the throne room. The sun would be setting in an hour and then they would begin again tomorrow. 

The young woman swaggered in dressed in tan pants and a blue shirt. She had dark, long raven hair pulled up into a single high ponytail behind her head, and eyes that were so dark blue they almost looked purple for a moment. She was pale and thin but she held herself like a Queen and didn’t seem cowed in the slightest to be in a throne room.

She came up to the throne room and gave a rather deep bow to both members of the royal couple. And began to speak

Varian, however, had immediately become distracted. She reminded him of someone but he couldn’t think who. For whatever reason his brain thought of Cassandra. And he couldn’t help but think they might be related. 

His brain became distracted running through the odds that this woman was a relation or forerunner to his Cassie. She certainly seemed like her, with the pale skin and fire in her eyes and dark hair. But, what were the odds of finding the ancestor of one of his friends? One in a thousand or worse...

His brain was still trying to come up with the exact numbers when the entire room took in a collective breath of anticipation.

Varian was jarred back to the present. 

The woman was holding something very, very familiar and speaking about it. 

“... of memory. It can assist in gaining back lost memories, help someone get over some that were rather traumatic, or possibly even allow someone to enter the mind of another.” 

And she was triumphantly holding, in her right hand the Saporian wand of Oblivium. 

It looked brand new, and had a purple stone instead of the pink one Varian had seen in it, but he knew it was true. This was the wand that he had studied for months with Clementine.

“How did you get that?” Varian burst out loudly. 

The woman spared a glance at him but didn’t seem to consider him much of an authority. 

“What proof do you have that this works?” King Florence asked. “We have been seeing quite a few object of untold magic that have turned out to be household objects of little worth.” 

“If your majesty would like I can show you?” And she took a step forward as if to use it on him. 

The entire room stiffened, with Quinn going so far as to move his hand to his sword, and she took the step back warily. 

“Perhaps on a guard?” She offered. And Varian took the opportunity to move up to the Queens chair, well within whispering distance. 

“That wand could be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands” Varian murmured quickly. “I have heard of it before” he added in explanation to her curious gaze. “It is rumored that it can completely remove memories, I wouldn’t let anyone you didn’t trust so much as hold it.” 

The Queen nodded her understanding and Varian took a step back into the somewhat shadows he had been lurking in. He was completely awake now. 

“I’m not sure you are the best person to demonstrate the power of the wand.” The Queen started calmly and not entirely unkindly. 

The woman bowed again in submission but glanced back up at the Queen. 

“If not me, then who your majesty? I’m not sure anyone else in the room is skilled enough in its use and this wand can do a great amount of damage if used improperly. I myself have been studying it for a few years now trying to ascertain it’s exact power. But,” she added with the perfect look of humility and challenge, “if anyone else can claim more knowledge I will happily allow them to use it.” 

The Queen paused for a moment, and Varian weighed his options.

It was clear to him that Camilla was giving him an opportunity to claim more information about that wand, and Varian knew quite a lot about it. But he also didn’t want to admit how he knew what he did. This woman had evidently had this wand for years and the last thing Varian wanted was to explain where he had seen and learned the wands powers. Besides he had been more invested in adding its power to his Quirineon gas then studying all the wands many powers. 

Another moment of Varian obsessed focus doing him a disservice he though.

He didn’t like this woman, but he couldn’t prove her wrong without letting her use the wand, besides, there was every chance that he was being overly cautious with the wand and it’s user because of past mistakes.

Everyone deserves a chance, his brain reminded him. And if the voice sounded more like Rapunzel than himself no one else needed to know.

So he didn’t say anything. 

He did put his hand in his pocket though and grasp one of his chemical beads, the trapping kind, just as a precaution. He liked these people too much to allow their memories to be erased. 

With the rooms silence remaining unbroken the King called John forward. 

He moved away from the doors and up to join the woman. He seemed apprehensive, but not scared (an old man had already beaten him up with a walking stick this young woman didn’t seem that bad.)

“How far back does your memory go?” 

“Uh... I mean I remember stuff from when I was a kid...” 

The woman sighed.

“Alright, I’ll be more specific...” 

Varian was paying attention, he WAS. But the problem with his brain was it never shut up. So while the woman... what was her name? Had she said it and Varian missed it?... asked John some questions. Varian’s brain went into overdrive shouting about different things. 

One part was still running numbers about timelines and family trees, another was remembering all the experiments with the wand. Bits of his brain were studying the woman, trying to pull details about her from her appearance, some were trying to recall what he had missed in her arrival, and still more was filing weird information about John’s past away to use later. 

The largest part was wondering if the wand could be used to take him home. His body didn’t seem to have time jumped, just him mind, would that help? This woman had said that it could allow her to walk in another’s mind...

His brain snapped out of its revery when the woman twirled the wand above her head. 

And Varian found himself wishing he could trust her. Wishing this would work ,and bring in one step closer to his real home.

She muttered a few words that Varian doubted anyone in the room could repeat and pointed the wand at a now harassed looking John. 

Purple light shimmered, and smoke poured out of the wand hitting John in the face. The room watched carefully for a response.

John’s eyes misted a bit and he sniffled. 

“I forgot that she used to sing to me as a kid.” He said, wiping a tear away as a happy memory resurfaced. 

The woman turned away from John and back to the royals looking more than a little smug. 

“See your majesty’s just as I said” 

“Thank you John” Camilla added and then motioned for him to return to his post. 

He did so... still looking a bit shocked that he had remembered some of his early childhood. 

“So... what would you like for this item?” It was the King speaking now. 

The woman bowed low again going down on one knee, and raising her hands side by side presented the wand over her head. 

“It is yours, and gladly given.” Said the woman. “All I ask in return is help” 

“Of what sort?” The king responded. And she glanced back at the royals standing again. 

“I heard that you were looking for magic and I... I want to help that goal.” 

The King and Queen both glanced at Varian, though only for a second. The girl hadn’t missed the movement.

For the first time since she came in she gave Varian her full attention. 

He had never seen someone go from bored to shocked to impressed so quickly. 

She smiled at him, and Varian thought that it made her look a lot nicer, though not as much as it should have done.

“Your seeking magic?” She addressed Varian, who said nothing. “I’m looking for a certain magic as well, and I was hoping that you might help me find it. I don’t have the resources to find it, and you might. In return I’ll help teach you about the wand, and I can can also help with any other magic you come across. I’ve traveled across many kingdoms and know quite a bit.” 

Here she turned her attention back to the royals, though still keeping an eye on Varian. 

The Queen looked between the two young people and then stood. He husband moved with her standing up as well. “Any advice you give would be helpful. But Demanitus is our advisor on this, so it’s up to him.” 

Varian didn’t miss the nite of displeasure in her voice. Apparently whatever had put Varian on edge was being felt by the Queen too. Varian did, however, appreciate the vote of confidence. The Queen was letting him choose and clearly showing her support of him. 

Varian smiled at her then turned to look back at the woman. She would be a wild card. Someone unpredictable, but potentially very useful. Varian had needed help with magic, and now he had someone volunteering for the job.

He signed inwardly.

“I need all the help I can get...” 

He wasn’t sure if he liked this woman, but it was true. He would watch her carefully, and ask her more about the wand. “What magic are you looking for?” 

The woman smiled shrewdly, and Varian got the idea that maybe he wasn’t the only one with trust issues. 

“If we come across it I will tell you, but I’ve been looking for this my whole life, you can’t expect me to give away all my information to a stranger.” 

He nodded, fair enough. 

“I’m Demanitus...” 

“My name is Moria, and I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

—————

People didn’t come into Varian’s lab. 

Well, okay, most people didn’t come into his lab. Loretta had put in many appearances since he began working here. She came by to say hello, to talk to him and hear from him. She came by one memorable time to weasel a promise out of Varian to eat three square meals a day, and failing that to eat at least one in her presence. 

Aside from Loretta and the occasional messenger no one came into his lab. Which is why he felt he was perfectly in his rites to leap for the ceiling when, half way in, he noticed a person. 

A smaller than adverse frame was stationed precariously on one of his stools glaring at a large stack of papers. 

“Hi Demanitus” the stranger said and turned to face him. 

It was Phillip. The boy he had saved from the emotional tonic had taken to following him around when he was in the lower town, but this was the first time he had come seeking him in the castle. 

“Pip... errr, what are you doing here?” The boys eyes lit up. 

“I realized that the tonic I created, while I haven’t worked out all of the kinks yet could, potentially mind you... if I changed a few base elements...” 

“Whole sentences” Varian added smiling now. It was something his dad used to say to him when he ranted too much. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry” he blushed a bit and continued. “A truth tonic!” He threw his hand up like it explained everything and then looked back at Varian sheepishly. “So I thought that, your lab was a lot better than mine...” 

Varian heard the note of uncertainty in his voice and it took him back a bit. 

“Yeah, yeah of course you can use my lab.” 

The boy beamed at him and spun back to the papers, suddenly and completely engrossed.

Varian smiled, the kid was smart. Then Varian registered the rest of his sentence. 

“Your making a truth tonic?” It had taken Phillip a month longer than Varian to come up with the idea. But then, Pip also hadn’t been trying to save his dad, exact revenge on innocent people, or topple a kingdom...so exceptions had to be made. 

“Yeah! What do you think?” And Varian was slightly surprised to hear a note of challenge from the twelve year old. 

“Sounds like a terrible idea... I’m in.” Varian said smiling the whole time. “Just move over a bit.”

Phillip actually rolled his eyes, but was smiling too when he began moving over a bit to give Varian somewhere to sit. 

They really should have moved to the bench. There were no less than four different places to write, all of them with more room than this particular table. But, as the two began strategizing and Varian erased and rewrote a few formulas on the papers scattered across the table, Varian realized he quite liked the company.

—————

Zahn Tiri sat down on the bed of her new room and glanced around her. It was not to her standards, but it would have to do. She wouldn’t be moving into the palace just yet. She pulled the tie off of her long raven hair and let it fall around her face.

Her meeting with the royals, however, was what her mind had been dwelling on. It had not gone as well as she had hoped. 

They had seem impressed with the wand, but Zahn Tiri hadn’t counted on the young man. 

It seemed someone had beaten her to the punch. Someone else had gotten to the gullible royals and had already started manipulating them. The boy was good at the task too. Zahn Tiri had to admit that, he had been pulling their strings, advising the Queen and protecting the King. He had even adhered himself to them so well that they were willing to trust him. 

The young man’s presence definitely complicated her plans. She had hoped to be the one chance, the one person that could be relied upon for magic information in this kingdom, but she wasn’t giving up hope yet. 

The boy, if she could turn him might be very helpful to her. He had seemed intelligent, and he too liked to stay in the shadows. 

She found herself admiring his skills. He could indeed be very useful, she had never had a partner, but... 

She stopped her thoughts. 

She needed to know him before anything else. He he would help her, then she would need to consider him more. If he refused to help her, or worse, got in her way well... 

Everyone had a blind spot. Anyone could be manipulated. Everyone had a weakness, it was what she loved most about these petty humans, and she was ever so good at finding them. 

She smiled as she laid her head down on the pillows. No, her meeting hadn’t gone as planned, but it had been very, illuminating. Tomorrow she would find Demanitus, talk to him, and find out what there was to find.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this please leave a kudos. If you loved it please leave a comment. It costs you so little, but means to me, so much. Regardless though thanks for reading!
> 
> Any criticism is helpful but please be kind! This is my first time writing for this fandom


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